Dear Quilting Friends,
I’m looking forward to attending the NQA’s
Annual show in Columbus Ohio on Thursday, June 7th. By the time
you read this newsletter the show will be over, but I hope many of
you were able to make the trip to Columbus as well. It is always
inspiring to see what quilters from all over the country are
doing, and of course, there is always the fun of shopping at all
the vendor’s booths!
Quilt Market, which is where many shop owners
order new inventory for their stores, was held in Salt Lake City
this spring. It was scheduled right during our Sauder Village
Quilt Fair, so of course we did not attend, but many sales
representatives have been visiting us to show us all the new
“goodies”. We have lots of great new fabrics ordered for summer
and early fall, as well as many new patterns, notions and books
that are arriving daily. I will attempt to highlight a few of the
new items that we already have in stock.
Nifty
Notions...
Tired
of nicked, dull rotary cutter blades? Sharp blades obviously make
cutting much easier! The Orbital Rotary Cutter Blade
Sharpener creates a straight, razor sharp cutting edge in
seconds. It sharpens both 45mm and 60mm blades and since the
blade stays completely within a protective housing, there is no
danger of cutting fingers while sharpening. Use the course
diamond wheel to remove nicks and the fine diamond wheel to
polish, sharpen and remove burrs. It’s a good investment at
$29.95.
Clover’s new magnet pin caddy is a
real treat and is great for patchwork, quilting and sewing. It
securely catches pins when dropped above the magnet and aligns
them all in one direction for ease of picking up pins over the
center groove. It also comes with a cover for safe and easy
storage. It’s also great for picking up pins that have spilled on
the floor or on fabric. Priced at $15.95, it
comes in many
colors, so choose your favorite.
For a new quick and easy way to make nicely
shaped yo-yos try Clover’s Quick Yo-Yo Maker. Simply place the cloth between the plate and disk, then cut around
the disk. Stitch, following the holes in the template. Then
remove the plate and disk, and pull on the thread. TaDaa…a
perfectly shaped yo-yo! They are available in small, large, extra
small and extra large for a wide variety of projects.
We’ve located a 1/16th inch
hole punch with soft comfort grip handles. This tiny size is
perfect for creating a tiny hole in templates so that you can
accurately mark where the seams intersect. Marketed for paper
crafting and scrapbooking, this hand punch by Fiskars has quilting
applications as well.
You may have read about Mary Ellen’s Best
Press in some of your quilting magazines. It is a clear,
fragrant starch alternative with soil guard and wrinkle resister
that makes ironing easier, smells wonderful and will not flake
even on dark fabrics. For use on clothing as well as providing a
crisp finish for your quilting fabrics that will make piecing
easier and more accurate. The 16.9 oz spray bottle sells for
$6.95. It comes in several fragrances; we currently have the
Caribbean Beach scent in stock.
Books
High on the quilting book bestseller list is
One Block Wonders by Maxine Rosenthal. One fabric plus one
block equals one stunning quilt! This brand new technique is all
about texture, movement, sparkle and swirl! Choose hexagons or
octagons... you are the designer. Easy random cutting, no planning,
no fussy cuts, no mess-ups. Simple piecing with no Y seams. It’s
like a Stack-N-Whack art quilt!
Get a complete introduction to the hottest
craze in wool crafting in the new book Needle Felting-Simple
Techniques, Beautiful Projects. On it’s own or added to wool
appliqué, needle felting can be done by hand or with a special
foot for your sewing machine and provides a folk-art look with
“touch me” appeal!
We have all admired those complex-looking
Mariner’s Compass quilts... and probably thought we would never be
able to make one ourselves. In Mariner’s Compass Quilts--Reach
for the Stars Brenda Henning’s detailed instructions teach you
to be a Mariner’s Compass expert! Included are 28 full-size
compass patterns, 4 compass halos, 4 small compass patterns and 7
spectacular projects with detailed step-by step instructions. Also available separately is a companion CD that allows you to
print the compass foundations right from your computer - what a
great time saver! The disc includes all foundations found in the
book as well as additional compass, halo and snowflake foundations
that just would not fit into the book.
Patterns
I’ve chosen just a few of the patterns to
give you a sampling of what’s new. For the young adult or young
at heart seamstress,
Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern sewing patterns
include Blue Sky Hats and Gum Drop Pillows. The hat
pattern includes both a sun hat and a reversible skullcap in small
to extra large adult sizes. The pillow pattern includes
instructions and pattern pieces to create your own gum drop
pillows and ottomans. They are easy to make, yet dramatic in
style. Large, comfy and cool pillows and even larger ottoman
sizes. Eye candy for your home!
Lori Smith has created a line of really neat
small quilt patterns. All the quilts measure 16” x 20”. The
individual patterns call for 4 fat quarters plus one background
fat quarter to make the quilt top, pieced back and binding of one
quilt. Four plus One Equals Fun!
Who can’t resist the temptation of adding
just one more fat quarter to their stash? Lori’s Fat Quarter
Quilting is a line of fun and easy quilt patterns perfect for
that abundant fat quarter collection waiting to be used. Creating
these small treasures can be almost as addicting as collecting the
fabric! Correlating with the measurements of fat quarters these
quilts measure 16” x 20” when complete. Each packet contains
patterns to create 9 small quilts, clear easy to follow
instructions and full sized appliqué patterns. Each pattern in
this series focuses on one type of fabrics such as reproductions,
pastels, batiks or 1930’s but they would look sensational in any
color or fabric combinations.
We are indeed fortunate today to be able to
have such a fabulous selection of reproduction fabrics for any
project we wish to do. Although we, for the most part, no longer
need to use scraps of clothing, feed sacks and whatever tiny
scraps we can manage to salvage, it is still fun to produce quilts
that mimic those of our ancestors. As a result of her passion for
antique quilts and years of researching these treasures, Jill Reid
of Windham Fabrics shares a few tips that she uses to give her a
modern day quilts the authentic look of scrap quilts from the
past. These tips will be very helpful in selecting fabrics for
Fat Quarter Quilting patterns as well as any reproduction quilts
you have in mind.
1. Don’t OVERTHINK your color combinations! If you study antique quilts, there are many unusual color
combinations presumably because they used what they had
available. You would be surprised how appealing these “odd”
pairings can be.
2. Include a “maverick” square of a similar
fabric in your block occasionally. When our ancestors ran out of
a certain print, they added a different one.
3. When using striped fabric, the strips can
run in random directions. Throw away your perfectionist
tendencies in order to achieve an aged look.
4. Whenever possible, include a “mourning”
print, black or purple, to add a little depth and spark to scrap
quilts.
5. Try some reverse, unexpected combinations
- i.e.,
with a 9 patch, where the 5 patches in the corners and center are
dark and the other 4 light, try an occasional patch where it is
reversed.
6. Make an occasional “fade away” block. This is where the two fabrics have low contrast, not a distinct
dark and light.
7. Use a thin, cotton batting in your quilt. This will “pucker” slightly when washed and have the look of an
old quilt.
8. Use a tan or antique gold thread color
when quilting your reproduction quilt. This thread color seems
to blend well with all light, medium and dark prints and has a
mellow, antique look.
9. Use a traditional quilting pattern on your
quilt. Examples are feathers, cables, clamshells, Baptist fan,
grids, diamonds, etc.
10. Consider not putting a border on your
reproduction quilt. Many times the vintage, scrap quilts did not
have borders.
11. Use a narrow binding on your quilt.
One of the quilters who attended several
classes with Louisa Smith during Quilt Fair brought along her own
Pressing Spot. Everyone loved the pattern so we now have it in
the shop. The Pressing Spot and Iron Tote shows you how to
make your own personal pressing spot to carry along to classes and
retreats or to keep next to your sewing machine at home. So easy
to make and very portable. We’ll be glad
to provide you with the
empty fabric bolt used inside.
And believe it or not, Christmas fabric is
arriving in the shop! Santa’s Got the Goods features a
great panel, border print, and coordinates for a quick Christmas
quilt. A free pattern is available for a fun wallhanging using
these richly colored Christmas fabrics.
Quilter's Retreat... October 19 - 20, 2007
You may want to sew up your own pressing spot
to bring along to our Quilter’s Retreat at the Heritage Inn on
October 19 – 20. We are now taking registrations for that event.
Registrations are limited to the first 36 quilters, so make your
plans now to attend!
Come and relax and sew to your
heart's content. Just look at all we've got planned!
- Uninterrupted sewing time from 10:00 AM Friday
until midnight Saturday!
- Finish your UFO’s!
- 6 foot table for each quilter
- Light dinner on Friday and lunch on Saturday
catered in our sewing room.
- Saturday evening buffet at the Barn Restaurant
- Door Prize Drawings
-
Goody Bag
- Late night shopping at Threads of Tradition
- Favorite fat quarter exchange
- Use of pool, hot tub, exercise and game rooms
- Chair massages available (additional fee applies)
- Limited to 36 fun-loving quilters
Bring your quilting
friends and let us take care of all the details. Registration fee of $85.00 ($77
for members) per person includes: six foot table space with chair, power cords
to each table, shared ironing board and irons, goody bag, door prizes and 3
meals. Registration forms online at
http://www.saudervillage.org/Hospitality/Quilt_Retreat_Reg.asp
or call Jan Nofziger at 800.590.9755.
Registrants are
responsible to reserve their own hotel rooms, available at group rates from a
reserved block until October 5, 2007. Rates start at $74.00 plus tax. Expanded
continental breakfasts are included in your hotel room package. For room
reservations call the Inn at 419.445.6408.
It’s been a good day for me, I hope yours has
been as fulfilling. My 18-month old grandson Titus came to visit
for the day. We played and he helped me bake bread and pull weeds
in the garden - of course his ability to differentiate between weeds
and vegetables was not very accurate! But he is so charming and
his enthusiasm so contagious that the vegetables were not so
important after
all - I always plant too many anyway! Seeing life anew through the
eyes of a child helps me to remember what’s really important. So,
in closing, I hope his smiling face brightens your day as well!
Keep on quilting, simply for the joy of it!
Linda
Threads of Tradition @ Sauder Village
22611 State Route 2, Archbold, Ohio 43502
800.590.9755 or 419.446.2541 ext. 3011
www.saudervillage.org
send email inquiries to:
lrufenacht@saudervillage.org
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